Page 29 - Air Pollution

Gopal Rai flags off mobile anti-smog guns to tackle Delhi's air pollution

The AQI of the national capital, post-Diwali celebration reached to worst level and posed a severe health risk

AQI deteriorates to 'severe' in India's cleanest city Indore after Diwali

The Air Quality Index in Indore, the country's cleanest city, breached the 400 mark on Friday, indicating that the air quality has reached the severe category in Madhya Pradesh's financial capital. According to the State Pollution Control Board data, the AQI in the city's Chhoti Gwaltoli area was pegged at 404 at noon, while the PM 2.5 (particulate matter) average was recorded at 255.26. The average level of PM 10 in the city was 318.08. Chhoti Gwaltoli is a densely populated area of the city that sees heavy vehicular movement. Dr Dilip Vaghela, an environmental expert and former official of the state pollution control board, told PTI, The city started with loud Diwali fireworks from Thursday morning which continued till late night. The situation continued in many areas on Friday also. This is the main reason for the air quality in the city reaching the severe category. The city's air quality usually remains in the "satisfactory" (AQI 51-100) category, the expert said. According t

Diwali blues: Haryana, Punjab report AQI in 'poor', 'very poor' categories

Several places in Haryana reported air quality index (AQI) in the 'poor' and 'very poor' categories on Diwali night on Thursday. Many places in Punjab as well as in the Union Territory of Chandigarh reported air quality index in the 'poor' category. As of 11 pm on Thursday, the AQI in Gurugram in Haryana was recorded at 322, 336 in Jind and 306 in Charkhi Dadri, according to the Sameer app that provides hourly updates of the national AQI published by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). Among other places in Haryana, as of 11 pm, AQI in Ambala was recorded at 201, in Bahadurgarh it was 292, Bhiwani 278, Ballabhgarh 211, Faridabad 245, Kurukshetra 270, Panchkula 220, Rohtak 222 and Sonipat at 258. Chandigarh's AQI was recorded at 239 as of 11 pm on Thursday. In Jalandhar, the AQI at 11 pm was 256, while at Ludhiana, it was 234, Mandi Gobindgarh 266, while Patiala recorded an AQI of 244. An AQI between zero and 50 is considered 'good', 51 and 100 'satisfactory', 101 and 200

Delhi's air deteriorate on Diwali eve, pollution level likely to go up

Delhi's air quality slipped into the "very poor" category on the eve of Diwali, with pollution levels expected to go up on Thursday, even as authorities said strict action will be taken against those violating the firecracker ban. The city's 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded at 307 at 4 pm, up from 268 on Tuesday, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). The Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune said the air quality in the national capital is likely to be in the "very poor" category (AQI 300 to 400) on Thursday and Friday. The air quality may also reach the severe category on these two days in case of additional emissions from firecrackers and stubble or waste fires. According to the Decision Support System (DSS) for Air Quality Management, if stubble burning occurs at levels similar to the last five years, it could contribute 15-18 per cent to Delhi's pollution on these dates. This is exacerbated by winds from the northwest, which

Delhi Metro changes schedule for Diwali; last train to commence at 10 pm

To manage the expected increase in passengers during the festive period, the DMRC added 60 extra trips on Tuesday and Wednesday

Diwali 2024: Amid pollution scare, many states tighten grip on firecrackers

With a blanket ban on firecrackers already in place across Delhi, many states have followed similar measures to avoid a potential health crisis

8 best eco-friendly Diwali tips to reduce air pollution and protect health

Celebrate this Diwali in an eco-friendly manner to combat the serious problem of air pollution hampering your health. Check 8 best eco-friendly Diwali tips

Delhi's AQI woes: Why's Pakistan blamed for Delhi-NCR's pollution crisis?

Delhi's air quality remains dire, with an Air Quality Index of 328, despite ongoing pollution mitigation efforts like banning firecrackers and road watering

Delhi air quality remains 'very poor' for second day after brief relief

The air quality in Delhi dipped to the 'very poor' category again on Sunday after remaining in 'poor' levels for two previous days, aided by favourable winds

Next 15 days crucial to tackle air pollution in Delhi, says Gopal Rai

Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai emphasised the urgent need to tackle air pollution across northern India, calling the next 15 days "crucial". Following a key meeting with the Central government on Friday, Rai held a press conference on Saturday. The meeting, attended by Union Ministers Shivraj Singh Chauhan and Bhupender Yadav, along with environment ministers from neighbouring states, aimed to assess and address the worsening air quality in the region. Rai expressed concern over the delay in this year's meeting and said, "Last year, a similar meeting was held in August, allowing us more time to strategise. "This year's meeting took place in the last week of October. Had it been conducted three months earlier, we could have tackled the pollution problem more effectively," Rai said. According to Rai, Punjab has shown a promising downtrend in the stubble burning incidents, with only 1,500 cases reported this year compared to nearly 5,000 cases in 2022. However, he noted an upti

Diwali fireworks and air pollution: How to protect your respiratory health

Pollutants emitted by crackers may last in the air for day, troubling people with respiratory issues

L-G flags dust disaster in letter to CM Atishi, AAP calls BJP hypocrite

Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena on Wednesday wrote to Chief Minister Atishi citing road dust as the biggest contributor to air pollution in the city and suggesting it would be better to set one's own house in order rather than blaming others. The AAP, however, said the country's top three cities with the worst AQI levels are in BJP-ruled Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, which exposes the party's hypocrisy. It claimed Delhi was "breathing its cleanest air in the last decade" and noted today's Supreme Court order reprimanding the Centre for not taking stringent measures to control pollution. Citing studies and his own experience of visiting various localities, Saxena claimed in his letter that about 36 per cent of the air pollution in the city was due to dust on the roads, largely caused by unprocessed construction and demolition waste. He claimed the Delhi government might have little control over 26 per cent of the causative factors behind pollution due to parali (paddy stubble) ...

Breathe at your own risk: How Delhi's air is taking a dangerous turn

Health experts warn that vulnerable groups, including children and the elderly, face heightened risk, raising serious concern over the long-term impacts of air pollution

Lahore declared the world's most polluted city as smog crisis deepens

Lahore's alarming pollution crisis is primarily driven by crop residue burning and industrial emissions

To curb air pollution, parking charges in Lutyens' Delhi likely to double

In another step to curb the rising air pollution in the national capital, the New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) is likely to double its parking charges. "In keeping Delhi's rising pollution in mind, the NDMC has decided to double its parking charges to encourage people to travel by public transportation," a senior NDMC official told PTI. The order regarding the hike in parking charges is to be released soon, the official added. Under the normal parking charges for surface parking at the NDMC parking lots, four-wheelers are charged Rs 20 per hour (with a maximum of Rs 100 for a day), while two-wheelers are charged Rs 10 per hour. In the case of multilevel parking sites, the charges are Rs 10 for four hours for cars and Rs 5 up to four hours for two-wheelers. For the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), which manages around 96 per cent of the city's geographical area, the parking charges have not been hiked so far as the proposal for the increase is pending clearance before th

BRICS summit, Delhi pollution, Hyundai Motor India & more

During bilateral talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the BRICS summit in Kazan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged a peaceful resolution to the Russia-Ukraine conflict

Delhi AQI crisis triggers Grap stage 2: What it means for the capital

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast that Delhi's AQI will remain in the 'very poor' range over the coming days

10 easy ways to purify indoor air to protect your family from poor air

The AQI of Delhi and NCR has already dropped to "very poor," which is very dangerous for our health. The worsening air quality has forced the people to stay indoors, but even indoor air can be unsafe

Delhi urges UP, Haryana, Raj to restrict diesel buses to curb air pollution

Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Tuesday wrote letters to the transport ministers of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, urging them to ensure no diesel buses from their states plied to the national capital in view of GRAP II restrictions in place. With the air quality in Delhi plummeting, Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) second stage restrictions kicked in from 8 am. Rai announced a slew of measures, including enhanced water sprinkling to control road dust, use of dust suppressants and deployment of additional traffic personnel to ease traffic congestion, among others. Rai said in his letters that a major component of this air pollution is vehicular emissions largely attributed to the significant number of diesel buses reaching Delhi from their states. "The impact of diesel emissions on air quality is well established and the large influx of such buses significantly contribute to the degradation of air quality in Delhi, posing serious health risks to the residents," he

'Red Light on-Gaadi off' campaign against pollution commences in Delhi

Kicking off the campaign at ITO intersection, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai appealed to drivers to help reduce pollution by turning off their vehicle engines at red light